The stick and ball sports have their All-Star games but, it is usually more of a social event instead of a hard fought competition. NASCAR's version places the past season's best teams against each otherMore >>

The stick-and-ball sports have their All-Star games but they are usually more a social event than a hard-fought competition. NASCAR's version places the past season's best teams against each other with the winner leaving with at least a million dollars in their pocket.More >>

Richard Petty, Jeff Gordon, and Dale Earnhardt Sr. are but a few of the sports greats who have gone to victory lane in the Southern 500. Matt Kenseth can now add his name to that historic trophy afterMore >>

Richard Petty, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Sr. are but a few of the sports greats who have gone to victory lane in the Southern 500. Matt Kenseth can now add his name to that historic trophy after a late surge took him to the win Saturday night.More >>

Last week's white knuckle action at Talladega pitted driver against driver. This week it's a battle of another form as they try to defeat a "Track Too Tough to Tame" in Darlington, South Carolina. DarlingtonMore >>

Last week's white-knuckle action at Talladega pitted driver against driver. This week it's a battle of another form as they try to defeat a "Track Too Tough to Tame" in Darlington, SC.More >>

Talladega Speedway has long been known for its exciting racing action. However, the fans at Sunday's Aaron's 499 Cup Series event experienced some additional excitement in another form as a large thunderstormMore >>

Talladega Speedway has long been known for its exciting racing action. However, the fans at Sunday's Aaron's 499 Cup Series event experienced some additional excitement in another form as a large thunderstorm with one-eighth-inch hail that halted the event with 63 laps to go.More >>

The only thing that is predictable about Talladega is that it's unpredictable. You never know what to expect and the final lap is always one of the most exciting laps in all of NASCAR racing. Maybe theMore >>

The only thing that is predictable about Talladega is that it's unpredictable. You never know what to expect, and the final lap is always one of the most exciting laps in all of NASCAR racing.More >>

BROOKLYN, MI -

Momentum is a major contributor to the success of a race team.

If it is on the team's side, they seem to be able to overcome many things on the way to success. Without it, nothing seems to go their way.

After his victory last weekend in Watkins Glen, Marcos Ambrose and his Richard Petty Motorsports No. 9 team seem to have momentum, and hope it can lock them into the Chase for 2012 with a second win in Michigan.

"It's exciting for us to be in this position," Ambrose said. "We're in striking distance, but we need to make some strikes. Definitely winning at Watkins Glen helped us get some momentum and definitely gets us closer to where we want to be, but there's a lot of work to be done yet."

Michigan has been a good track for Ambrose, and after sitting on the pole in the spring race, he feels they have a real chance to win.

"We're going to go to Michigan," he said. "After getting the pole there in the first race, and running top five most of the day, we thought we had a great chance to win that race, lock ourselves in the Chase. That's really our only focus right now."

However, Ambrose is not counting his chickens before they hatch. He knows something could happen Sunday to deny his team the Cinderella story they are trying to create.

"Our team has had a lot of really great runs this year; we've had a lot of speed," Ambrose said. "We've had trouble converting that speed into results. Small issues, mechanical problems, driver error, wrong strategy, you name it and we've done it. We have to stop all that."

So what is the plan to keep that momentum headed in their direction?

"Our focus has to be being aggressive on our strategy, being aggressive with the car and me on the racetrack being aggressive too, trying to get that next win," Ambrose said. "Without that, we're just going to be racing for 15th, 16th in the championship. That's not what we're after."

There will be several other teams looking for their second win in Michigan as well. Ambrose hopes the united effort building inside his team will be enough to keep them ahead of the pack.

"Most of our talking has been about how we're going to make the Chase, what we have to do with the team to get there," he said. "I'm excited about it. We really have to keep applying ourselves and hopefully get it right here at Michigan, to take the pressure off of the last three races."

Whether the RPM team can pull off the unexpected and make the Chase remains to be seen. However, Ambrose and his team certainly have a partner in their corner named "Big Mo," and that just might pull them through.

The stick and ball sports have their All-Star games but, it is usually more of a social event instead of a hard fought competition. NASCAR's version places the past season's best teams against each otherMore >>

The stick-and-ball sports have their All-Star games but they are usually more a social event than a hard-fought competition. NASCAR's version places the past season's best teams against each other with the winner leaving with at least a million dollars in their pocket.More >>

Richard Petty, Jeff Gordon, and Dale Earnhardt Sr. are but a few of the sports greats who have gone to victory lane in the Southern 500. Matt Kenseth can now add his name to that historic trophy afterMore >>

Richard Petty, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Sr. are but a few of the sports greats who have gone to victory lane in the Southern 500. Matt Kenseth can now add his name to that historic trophy after a late surge took him to the win Saturday night.More >>

Last week's white knuckle action at Talladega pitted driver against driver. This week it's a battle of another form as they try to defeat a "Track Too Tough to Tame" in Darlington, South Carolina. DarlingtonMore >>

Last week's white-knuckle action at Talladega pitted driver against driver. This week it's a battle of another form as they try to defeat a "Track Too Tough to Tame" in Darlington, SC.More >>

Talladega Speedway has long been known for its exciting racing action. However, the fans at Sunday's Aaron's 499 Cup Series event experienced some additional excitement in another form as a large thunderstormMore >>

Talladega Speedway has long been known for its exciting racing action. However, the fans at Sunday's Aaron's 499 Cup Series event experienced some additional excitement in another form as a large thunderstorm with one-eighth-inch hail that halted the event with 63 laps to go.More >>

The only thing that is predictable about Talladega is that it's unpredictable. You never know what to expect and the final lap is always one of the most exciting laps in all of NASCAR racing. Maybe theMore >>

The only thing that is predictable about Talladega is that it's unpredictable. You never know what to expect, and the final lap is always one of the most exciting laps in all of NASCAR racing.More >>

Richmond International Raceway has always been known as a place for action but Saturday night's Toyota Owner's 400 had many Cup Series drivers shaking their heads. The first portion of the event belongedMore >>

Richmond International Raceway has always been known as a place for action, but Saturday night's Toyota Owner's 400 had many Cup Series drivers shaking their heads.More >>

Growing up, Clint Bowyer cut his teeth driving the short track circuit of the Midwest. Now that he is a big time Sprint Cup driver, he is hoping that his short track experience puts him back in the winner'sMore >>

Growing up, Clint Bowyer cut his teeth driving the short track circuit of the Midwest. Now that he is a big time Sprint Cup driver, he is hoping that his short track experience puts him back in the winner's circle this week in Richmond.More >>

When Matt Kenseth made the unprecedented move from his long time home at Roush/Fenway Racing to Joe Gibbs Racing, many expected him to remain a championship threat; just not this soon. Capturing his secondMore >>

When Matt Kenseth made the unprecedented move from his longtime home at Roush/Fenway Racing to Joe Gibbs Racing, many expected him to remain a championship threat; just not this soon.More >>

Richard Petty once told me that bad luck comes in cycles. He said that you just continue to work hard and one day it will turn back around your way. That seems to be the case for the resurgent Kyle BuschMore >>

Richard Petty once told me that bad luck comes in cycles. He said that you just continue to work hard and one day it will turn back around your way. That seems to be the case for the resurgent Kyle Busch as he heads to Kansas this weekend.More >>